1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile phone cradle and a vehicle including the same, and more particularly, to a mobile phone cradle, which allows a mobile phone not only to be easily held thereon but also to be used even after held thereon, and a vehicle including the same.
2. Description of Related Art
As mobile phones are frequently used in vehicles due to their ever-increasing popularity, a variety of storage structures have been developed in order to provide a variety of conveniences to drivers when they use a mobile phone. Most of the developed structures generally include a storage space, which is provided inside a place around the driver's seat to hold a mobile phone, and a handsfree cable equipped adjacent to the storage space. When a driver is seated in a vehicle, he/she can connect the handsfree cable to a mobile phone and place the mobile phone in the storage space. Then, the driver can answer a call “handsfree” while driving the vehicle.
As a different scheme, a mobile phone cradle, on which a mobile phone can be held, is fixedly provided on the interior of a vehicle so that a driver can quickly answer a call while driving the vehicle. However, the conventional mobile phone cradle inevitably causes damage to the crash panel, that is, the front panel of the driver's seat of the vehicle, since it is typically fixed by bolts to the crash panel. The mobile phone cradle is configured to securely hold the mobile phone in order to prevent the mobile phone from dropping during driving. Typically, the mobile phone cradle holds the rear part of the mobile phone by interference fit. Unlike a vehicle cup mount, which is stored inside an interior part of the vehicle and can be used whenever it is necessary, the conventional mobile phone cradle fixed by bolts is necessarily exposed and fixed to the front panel of the driver's seat. As a result, the mobile phone cradle has several problems. For example, the mobile phone cradle occupies a certain area of the interior of the vehicle, may interfere with driving, and diminishes aesthetic appearance.
In addition, once the conventional mobile phone cradle is installed in the vehicle, it cannot be freely separated from the vehicle. If the mobile phone cradle is separated from the vehicle, bolt holes are left in the crash panel. The crash panel may be damaged due to excessive boring during the fixing operation, thereby diminishing aesthetic appearance. In some cases, the badly-damaged crash panel may reduce the resale value of the vehicle. Furthermore, the conventional mobile phone cradle is inconvenient to use since it is spaced too far from the driver. Since it is difficult to separate the mobile phone from the cradle due to the secure fitting between the cradle and the mobile phone, the driver may frequently leave the mobile phone in the vehicle. If the driver attempts to remove the mobile phone from the cradle while driving, he/she may fail to pay attention to what is in front of the vehicle, increasing the possibility of a serious accident.
Furthermore, the conventional mobile phone cradle is shaped corresponding to the rear part of the mobile phone and is sized the same as or greater than that of the rear part of the mobile phone. This leads to a bulky and expensive mobile phone cradle. Since different types of mobile phones have different dimensions, a mobile phone cradle dedicated to a specific mobile phone has to be selected. In addition, the mobile phone cradle cannot be used for applications other than the storage of the mobile phone.
Moreover, when the driver attempts to check the charged state of the mobile phone or a short message, the conventional mobile phone cradle makes it difficult to open the mobile phone.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.